Automatic car-fender



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) I

G. 0. & W. J.'STRAUB & P. A. GESTNER.

6 9 0O 1 1 L m Qv .e Rt EH De Nt Ea D R A 0 NU I T A M 0 T U A A M 6 5 5 v0 N W ibnesses.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. STRAUB, VILLIAM J. STRAUB, AND FRANK A. GESTNER, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 556,444, dated March 17, 1896.

Application'filed September 20, 1895. 'Serial No. 563,127. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE O. STRAUB, WILLIAM J. STRAUB, and FRANK A. GEsrNER, citizens of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Automatic Car-Fender, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-fenders, and

particularly to an automatic fender adapted to catch an object or person without injury and hold the same in a pocket formed by the tilting of the catch-frame, carrying a netting, backward and downward, said tilting being caused by the falling of such object or person upon the netting.

The prime object of the invention is to provide a tilting catch-frame automatically returnable and at each end of which there is a flexible connection from one side of the said frame to the other to receive. the main contact of an object or person without injury to the latter or to the said frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide the catch-frame with front and rear track-rail rollers, so that the said frame will travel upon a track when in normal position as well as when carrying an object.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and novel means for regulating the normal slant and pitch or inclination of the catch-frame and means for returning the said frame to normal position and holding it there.

A still further object of the invention is to provide -means connected to the aforesaid regulating means and operated by the motorman to raise the front of the catch-frame and hold it in any desired raised position.

Other objects and advantages peculiar to our fender will be revealed in the following specification and pointed out in the appended claims.

lVith these objects in view the invention resides in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, and essentially in a tilting catch-frame automatically returnable to normal position provided with a covering of netting and having a flexible connection from one side to the other at each end of the said frame.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one end of a car with our invention applied and the catch-frame in normal position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of our invention with the catch-frame in normal position and without hand means for operating said frame. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of Fig. 2 with the catch-frame tilted or in position when holding an object or person. Fig. 4 is a detached plan view of the catch-frame. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bolt and its locknuts for regulating or setting the pitch of the catch-frame. Fig. 6 is a top view of a portion of the means for raising and holding the front of the catch-frame. Fig. 7 is a crosssection of a car-platform, partly broken away, taken through the hangers and main frame. Fig. 7 is a side view of part of a platform with fender-hangers and main fender-frame partly broken away. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the pivot plate. Fig. 9 is' an end elevation of one side of catch-frame, partly broken away, showing pivot-bolt keyed to main frame and lock-nuts holding stop-piece.

The same letter and numeral references denote the same parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

To the under side of the platform A are suitably secured the angle-hangers 1, to which the rear ends of the main fender-frame 2 are detachably secured by means of bolts 3 having pins 4. Other equivalent means for detachably connecting the said frame to the platform may-be employed, as it is immaterial so long as the frame can be moved from one car end to the other in accordance with the direction. in which the car is propelled.

Secured to the main frame 2 and extending across and just in front of the dashboard is a bar 5, to which one end of the netting is attached. In the front end of the frame-2 is pivoted upon the bolt 2 the catch-frame 8, having a brace-bar 9, to which is secured the other end of the netting 6. This brace-bar reaches from oneto the other of the front rollers 10, the latter being hung from a projection 11 near the front end of the catchframe 8. The netting is caught about its center crosswise to a similar brace-bar 12,likewise secured to project-ions 13 carrying rollers 14 at the rear end of the catch-frame.

Reaching'across from one side to the other at each end of the catch-frame 8 is a flexible connection 15 and 16 made of stout rubber hose without a rod or bar extending through or otherwise engaging it to retard its independent action. Said connection may be made of solid elastic material, but the tube is preferable. The connection 14 is at the extreme front end of the catch-frame close to the track, and of sufficient distance from the brace-bar 9 to allow it to give or expand freely in any direction. This tube or connection 15 is the first part of the fender to come in contact with an object or person and protects and breaks the fall upon the netting. The latterbeing supported by the rubber tube 16 there is no jar or injury occasioned, and the rear end of the catch-frame drops easily and comfortably down to the position shown in Fig. 3. In order to automatically return the catch-frame 8 back to its normal position (see Fig. 2) a spring 17 has one end secured to the main frame 2 and the other end to the forward end of the catch-frame 8.

The bolt 2-, hereinbefore referred to, is secured to the main frame 2 by the key 3", and the lock-nuts clamp a stop-piece 4 upon the bolt 2" between the stop-lugs 19. By changing the angle or slant of the piece 4. the throw or pitch of the catch-frame 8 is changed.

The foregoing-described mechanism constitutes our automatic fender, and is complete without the motormans hoisting and regulating mechanism presently to be described; but with the latter apivot-bolt '7 is employed instead of the bolt 2, and has a rectangular head 18 which engages the inner side of the catch-frame, and like the stop-piece 4 is placed in such position as the catch-frame may require, the latter being controlled in its forward and downward movement by the said bolt-heads 18 coming in contact with lugs or pins 19 on the catch-frame, the bolt being held rigid with the lever 32 by lock-nuts 19, the said motormans hoisting mechanism be ing as follows: Each car-platform is provided with a shaft 20 having hand-crank 21 and a crank 22 near the floor of the platform. Between said floor and the crank 22 is mounted upon the shaft 20 a ratchet-wheel 23, and between the said floor and the ratchet-wheel is pivoted a plate 24having a slot through which the shaft 20 extends and a projection 25 adapted to engage the ratchet-wheel by moving the plate 24 on its pivot 26, which holds the shaft 20 as desired. The rock-shaft 27 has an arm 28 and a connecting-rod 29. The latter is adapted to be detachably secured to the crank 32, the rock-shaft being supported by forked standards 30 on the platform and having its end connected with a horizontal lever 81, the latter being pivoted to a vertical lever 32, secured to the pivot-bolt '7 between the lock-nuts 19. By simply turning the hand-crank of the shaft 20 the front of the catch-frame is raised.

It will be observed that the netting issuspended at all times clear of the car-couplin g, and that the fender can be readily removed from one end of a car to the other by simply removing the bolts 3.

\Ve do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to a fender with hand-operating mechanism, nor to any special material composing the horrible connections on the catch-frame; but,

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car fender of the character described, the combination with the main frame having an elevated bar connection independ ent of the car, the tilting catch-frame, flexible or pliable material making an independent connection between the sides of the catchframe at its front and rear ends, and the netting having one end secured to the said bar and the other end to the catch-frame and riding over the said rear flexible connection, as set forth.

2. The combination with a fender having one end of a netting suspended at the rear end thereof, of the tilting catch-frame, the elastic cushion upon the rear end of the catchframe and supporting the netting, and the elastic cushion at the front end of the catchframe independent and forward of the netting, as set forth.

3. In a fender of the character described, the combination with the main frame having a bar at a suitable elevation above the frame and connecting the rear ends of said frame, of the catch-frame, the bolt upon which the catch-frame is pivoted near the front end of the latter, the flexible connection at each end of the catch-frame, the roller at each end of the catch-frame, and the. netting covering one of the flexible connections and having one end secured to the catch-frame and the other end to the aforesaid bar, as set forth.

4. The combination with tilting catch frame, and the bolts upon which the frame is pivoted, of means for operating the catchframe by hand comprising the crank-shaft having aratchet-wheel, and controlled by a slotted plate, the rock-shaft detachably supported from the car-platform and coupled to the said crank-shaft, and the levers connecting the rock-shaft with the aforesaid pivotbolts, substantially as set forth.

5. In a fender of the character described, the combination of the main frame, and the tilting catchframe having stop-lugs, of the bolts by which the said frames are pivoted together, and the stop-piece clamped upon the bolts between the said stop-lugs to conflexible tube connection between the sides of trol the movement of the catch-frame, as set the catch-frame, as set forth.

forth. In witness whereof we hereunto set our 6. The combination in a fender of the charhands in the presence of two Witnesses.

5 acter described, the main fender-frame, and GEORGE G. STRAUB.

the catch-frame, the bolt by which the frames WVILLIAM J. STRAUB. are pivoted together, the pin on the catch- FRANK A. GESTNER.

' frame with which the pivot-bolt co-operates itnesses:

and the stop-piece adjustably secured upon \VM. F. XVEBER,

IO the pivot-bolt and the independent elastic or II. D. LEHMAN. 

